A Tangled Web of Beauty Part 7- Learning to Do Domestic
by Starjargon
Summary: The Doctor hasn't been a parent for a very long time, so he goes to an unlikely source for advice. Hopefully, she won't slap him this time. K plus for possible scenarios.
1. Help!

**A/N- Yes, I know. Another one. But I just can't seem to help myself. This one will be ongoing, as opposed to a strictly linear storyline with a beginning, middle, and end.**

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The Doctor pounded loudly on her door, a screaming Bella held precariously in his grasp.

"Please, open the door- it's quite an emergency!" He was frantic as he bobbed his daughter up and down, her crying growing louder with each motion of his hands.

"Oh, please stop crying, love- Daddy has a plan to fix it." He stopped his knocking when this phrase served to only make his newborn scream louder. He moved her to his other arm as he tried in vain to pet her to calm down, failing spectacularly as he bit his lip to stop a sob escaping his own body. "My plans do so work! The Cyberman thing wasn't my fault, I didn't realize Mummy had hidden an explosive there!" He argued with his daughter, still ineffectively trying to rock her hard in a fast, frantic manner, when suddenly the door opened, and his saviour stepped out.

"Who the 'ell are you?" demanded Jackie Tyler.


	2. Question Time

Jackie took in the young, panicked man holding a very young infant outside her flat. He seemed distressed and over his head as he continued trying to- well, he was frantically bouncing the child, but she believed he was meant to be rocking her. She looked up into his face, still unsure why this oddly- appareled stranger had so vehemently knocked on her door.

"Jackie! Oh, good- it's you! Well, of course it's you, who else would it be? Though, I was slightly worried it'd be me. Or Rose. That'd take quite a bit of explaining. More so if I had opened the door. That is, younger me."

"What the 'ell are you on about? And who are you?" she repeated, the shrieks of the baby trying her nerves.

"Oh, right, the face- it's me! The Doctor. Not the Doctors you've met yet, obviously. Younger me's. Here I am, older me. With a baby. My baby. My Bella. Say hi, dear. Yes, I know you know her, but she hasn't met you yet. Wait! Oh, you sneaky woman. Of course. Explains the whispers. Right!" he interrupted himself as he watched her patience dwindle.

"Jackie- it's me," he began again, trying to speak clearly before making his request, "I'm a future version of your Doctor. It's been a few hundred years since the Tylers were in my life, and now I have a daughter." He presented the somewhat quieting infant to her scrutiny, watching as she leaned forward to take in the child. "Only, her mother and I are both new at this, well- I've done this before, but it's been about a millennia, and this is _not _like riding a bicycle. I don't know if I can do this Jackie. Her mum's exhausted, her grandparents are run ragged, and I need _help_. She won't stop crying!"

Jackie took him in for a minute, considering. She looked to the child, still wailing pathetically, then up at the new father, who was obviously stressed. Seeing the baby brought out an ache she always felt when her daughter was wandering the stars (thanks to the man in front of her), and she couldn't help but reach out a finger to stroke the child, who grabbed at it and uncoordinatedly tried to latch on. That cinched it. She just had a couple of things to ask Mr. Alien, first.

"Before I let you in my 'ouse, I have a few questions for you." She only looked up from Bella briefly to let the Doctor know she was willing to take them in.

"Okay," said the harried Time Lord.

"Why did you come to me?" she asked, eyes still on the child.

He took a moment, considering. "Because you raised one of the best people I have ever met, and so I figured you'd be the best person to help with questions about my daughter."

She smiled at the compliment to her Rose, pleased that a man who hadn't seen them apparently in centuries still thought about her child.

"One more, then perhaps I'll let you in the 'ouse." She looked up to see him nod his understanding.

"My daughter- did she die because of you? Or did she get hurt in any way because of travelling with you?"

He breathed in deeply, not sure how to respond, before his silence brought her eyes back to his.

"She was very much alive, and very happy with her life the last time I saw her." He settled on.

Jackie, after scrutinizing his face to ensure he wasn't lying, held out her arms for the baby.


	3. A Different Life

The Doctor fell onto the sofa as Jackie gently rocked and cooed to Bella, bouncing her delicately as her cries slowly quieted to soft whimpers, responding to Jackie's soft tone and far softer touch.

"There now," she said gently, "you just got a bit nervous because of Daddy's anxiety, didn't you? Nothing to worry about now, Auntie Jackie's got you. Aren't you just precious? Yes, little one. Gorgeous girl. 'ello! 'ello!" She waved, looking up to continue her conversation with the Doctor, but stopped, then smiled as she saw the Time Lord asleep exactly as he'd fallen.

She grabbed a light cover for him before taking the baby from the room to give the Doctor rest.

A half hour later found the Doctor sitting up with a jolt, "I've got her, River!" spilling from his mouth, before he looked left and right, neither his TARDIS, wife, or baby in sight. When he got his bearings after a slight moment of panic, he stood up and began exploring the small flat, looking for Bella and her makeshift guardian. He found them in a familiar room he remembered seeing several lifetimes ago, Jackie holding Bella up to show her a photo of her and Rose.

"She phones every now and then. Tells me what distant planet or star she's on. Lets me know she's still safe. She always was a curious one, my Rose. I wonder what she would 'ave been like, 'ad she just stayed 'ere."

"She still would have been brilliant," said a quiet voice behind her. Jackie looked up to see the Doctor leaning against the doorframe with a tranquil smile on his face. She smiled back at him.

"Good morning, Daddy," she said, holding his gurgling daughter up pointedly even as she smirked at him.

"Good morning, Bella mia Bella," he said, stepping forward and quietly gathering his baby in his arms once more.

"She really is beautiful," Jackie said, brushing a lock of hair away from the infant's face.

"Yeah," said the smitten, if not exhausted, Time Lord, "takes after her mother."

"And where's she, leaving 'er baby with you?" said Jackie, with a ring of accusation in her voice. The Doctor looked up to see the smile belying the tone.

"_Our_ baby, thank you very much, Mrs. Tyler. She's having a nap, more than likely. She still hasn't gotten used to the sleep schedule of having a Time Lord newborn, and considering her pregnancy… Well, let's just say she could use the rest."

"Well, this little one's welcome 'ere any time," cooed Jackie to the now- sleeping little girl. "You, on the other hand, Mr. Let Me Take Your Daughter to Who Knows What Time and Planet While You're Here Waiting Day After Day-"

"She chose to go with me!" he tried to defend himself, quieting at the end as Bella began to stir.

"And you let 'er," said Jackie softly.

"Well… she was my best friend. It's not like I was just going to send her away. Besides, I kept her safe. Mostly."

"Aliens, in Downing Street," she argued.

"We survived."

"Well, this is the third face I've seen of yours. That means since I've met you, you've died at least two times!"

"Yeah, but I managed not get Rose killed!" Jackie removed his daughter from his arms as his tone made the baby stir in irritation.

"Shh, it's alright, little one. Your daddy's just a bit of an idiot, that's all," she said as she rocked the child back into a peaceful slumber. He pouted at that, and was just about to retort when suddenly, she turned and bluntly asked, "So, what exactly did you need my help with?"

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**This is where I could use your help. I'll be away for a few weeks, so I'll be able to read and possibly write, just not post. Please send me baby and/ or child problems he could go to Jackie with, things you may have faced as a parent, or have just seen or heard of second hand. This series will be ongoing, so mostly plotless and fluffy, with Doctor craziness thrown in.**


End file.
